Lakers’ Star Austin Reaves Lets Loose on the Golf Course

If you’re a hardcore Los Angeles Lakers fan who knows what players do in their spare time, or a hardcore golf fan who never misses the American Century Championship (ACC) at Lake Tahoe every summer or a YouTube junkie, you probably already know that Austin Reaves is an avid golfer; you also know he’s capable of breaking par each time he tees it up.

Now entering his fourth year with the Lakers, Reaves’ golf game is getting more attention as the word — and the videos from his fast-growing “Hillbilly Bogey” YouTube channel — are getting out. The son of Nicole Wilkett and Brian Reaves, both of whom played basketball at Arkansas State, Austin was a standout on his hometown high school basketball team (Cedar Ridge) in Newark, Arkansas.

He began to dabble with golf in high school, where he showed a natural proficiency. When he went off to college, he began to shoot lower scores, hit better shots and started taking the game more seriously.

He found himself playing more and more when not on the basketball court at Wichita State University and continued swallowing the golf hook when he transferred to the University of Oklahoma.

“Towards my senior year (of high school), I started seeing improvement in my game,” he shares. “I started hitting better shots. Then when I went to college, my sophomore year at Wichita State, I needed an outlet and that was golf because we think about basketball 90-95 percent of the time.

“Golf was my outlet to kind of get away from basketball and that’s when I really fell in love with it,” he says. “I’ve never taken a lesson, and I don’t really go hit balls at the range. I just love to go play. I didn’t play that much my rookie year (with the Lakers) because I was trying to, you know, find the way of the NBA. But after that I started taking my clubs on the road, and playing as much as I can in LA, because we get good year-round weather. I’m 100 percent addicted to the game now.”

Reaves has evolved from an undrafted rookie in 2021 to a staple in the Lakers lineup in recent seasons and is currently in the midst of a four-year contract. He immediately filled the team’s need for a guard and became the fifth player in Lakers history to record a triple-double during his rookie season, scoring 31 points, grabbing 16 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists against the Denver Nuggets on April 10th, 2022.

But when he’s not playing or thinking about basketball, there’s a good chance he’s on the golf course somewhere. With Southern California as his playground, Reaves counts Hillcrest CC, The Riviera CC and Angeles National GC among his recent local plays.

Reaves found himself playing so much recreational golf, friends suggested he begin filming his rounds for the entertainment value. That idea turned into the “Hillbilly Bogey” presentation on YouTube, which has nearly 20 episodes to date. The most popular videos have garnered tens of thousands of views.

“It’s a lot of fun” he says. “It’s a goof-off for me outside of basketball that I love and I can present it to the world.”

Reaves played in his first official competitive event this past May, when he attempted to qualify for the Korn Ferry Tour’s Knoxville Open. He said he enjoyed the experience but shot 76 (6-over) and blamed it on nerves he’d never experienced.

In July, his golf career took a giant leap forward when he was invited to play in the 2024 American Century Championship, the all-star celebrity golf event held each summer at Edgewood GC in Lake Tahoe. Reaves said it was only the second time he’d ever “played in front of people,” but he still finished tied for 14th with 47 points in the modified Stableford event.

He plans to return next year, where one of the storylines is already developing — who’s the best golfer in the NBA? Steph Curry, the 2023 ACC champion, is expected to return next year after missing this year’s tournament while participating with the gold-medal-winning USA basketball team at the Summer Olympics in Paris.

“I haven’t spoken directly to him about that and I’m sure he’d pick himself,” Reaves says of the possible duel with Curry. “I saw him play (at the ACC) last year and he’s a phenomenal player. But I don’t know what (kind of) competitor (I) would be if I didn’t pick myself.” ▪